Ru Ha’rus

Name: Ru Ha’rus
Dice: 13D
Dexterity: 1D+1 / 3D+1
Knowledge: 2D+1 / 4D+1
Mechanical: 2D+1 / 4D+1
Perception: 2D / 4D
Strength: 1D+2 / 3D+2
Technical: 3D / 5D

Move: 10 / 12
Size: 1.5 - 2.0 meters
Weight: 50 - 120 kg
Life Span: Unknown

Special Abilities:

• From long centuries of service, Ru Ha'rus have a +2D racial bonus to all Knowledge and Technical Skill checks.

Description: ‘Given to me when the rest of my people died. Sacred trust, legacy for the future. I am guardian, protector. I live in the heart of the machine. We are one. 500 of your years have I waited in the machine.’

The ancient race of the Ru Ha’rus once ruled much of known space. They were the Centauri of their day, carving out an empire by force and conquering a hundred worlds. A proud people, but also terribly patient, they were prepared to wait until their enemies’ fortunes were at their lowest before striking. Slowly, over centuries, the Ru Ha’rus built their empire.

They even weathered the early Shadow Wars but they were ultimately weakened by these confl icts, as those conquered by the Ru Ha’rus rose up against them when backed by Shadows. The Vorlons chose the Ru Ha’rus as their weapons to drive the Shadows back to Z’ha’dum, but the effort destroyed their ability to defend the remnants of their empire. Half a million years ago, the race entered a terminal decline.

The Vorlons rescued the dying people and used them as servants. The Ru Ha’rus were prophets of the Vorlons, messengers, spies and custodians of the great machines. Still, their decline was never wholly arrested and they slowly slipped away. By the time of the last great war, 10,000 years ago, there were only a few thousand left; by the time of Valen, there were only a handful of Ru Ha’rus ships plying the spacelanes.

The last task given to the Ru Ha’rus was managing the Great Machine on Epsilon III; Varn was a member of this race, as were the crew of the last exile ship who tried to take the Machine in 2258.

Personality: The Ru Ha’rus are old as races count time; their heyday was half a million years ago and they have been failing ever since. Once, they believed that the Vorlons would save them from this slow death of the soul but this faith has long since been extinguished in all but a handful. Most Ru Ha’rus now serve out of ingrained habit, a race of hereditary butlers from an earlier, more refi ned age of the galaxy.

Physical Description: The Ru Ha’rus are humanoid, with thick, scaly skin. They have slightly slower metabolisms than average, so they speak and act slowly and deliberately.

Relations: The Ru Ha’rus are a legend even to the Minbari, who remember encountering them during their first tentative steps into space. The exiled Ru Ha’rus are bitter towards the Vorlons and by extension, every other race in the galaxy. The few Ru Ha’rus on the planet of Ha’rus are still loyal to the Vorlons but are no longer trusted servants as they once

Systems: The Vorlons gave the race a new homeworld at Ha’rus, and this is the only planet they still claim. The exiles’ vessels are capable of remaining in space for centuries, however, so there still may be Ru Ha’rus ships travelling the galaxy.

Beliefs: The Ru Ha’rus initially believed that the Vorlons would save their race from extinction. Now, they simply want to leave some legacy of their own, instead of being eternally in the shadows of their masters. Note that because of the extreme age of the Ru Ha’rus, they are immune to the Vorlons’ Angel Guise and know the true nature of the Vorlons.

Language: The Ru Ha’rus speak an ancient tongue that borrows greatly from Vorlon and Vindrizi. They have advanced translation technology, however, enabling them to swiftly learn the languages of others.

Names: Ru Ha’rus names tend to be short and direct; the only one on record is Varn, but names like Gash, Mar, Ael and so on can be extrapolated from this.

Starfarers: The only Ru Ha’rus starfarers remaining are the exiles.

Source:

• The Babylon 5 Project: Ru Ha’rus
• Babylon 5 Darkness & LIght Sourcebook (pages 68-69)
• thedemonapostle